I suppose it would be more useful if this roving reporter actually walked around the island instead of paddling around it! Then I might be able to put names to the folks I saw as I paddled past. But that would not have been as much fun, nor would I have been able to push the large log floating by Swift-Kelly’s toward the rocks and away from the channel.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. While our human activities may be curtailed by COVID-19, the animals and birds are not. Earlier this summer, I was buzzed by a hummingbird while sitting on our porch, which prompted the addition of a red hummingbird feeder to our porch. Now we spot those lovely birds frequently at the feeder and the geraniums. The turkeys also seem to find our cottage a good place for foraging, with at least four adults and lots of little ones! Even a pileated woodpecker has come to inspect our dead logs. The ledge in the Sheepscot has a goodly number of seals basking on it at low tide and the osprey nest at Jones Point has a young resident, too! Judging by the number of boats out fishing, both privately and commercially, there’s a lot of fish around, too!  Nearly every day someone is picnicking or camping on Spectacle, as well as Powderhorn, so COVID-19 has not stopped the boaters any!

As for the humans, the East shore at least, is populated from Bogarts to McCandlesses! Someone is up in the Dawes Cottage, and I’ve spotted Alan Hutchinson walking Mocha. Peter Burvill and family introduced young Leo to Reed’s beach on a rare warm day not long ago. Mike and Alison Potts and Peg Ayer have been and gone at the Sturgis cottage. Brenda Bowen and family are in residence, too. Someone is in Swift-Kelly (or they left the windows open) and there was a socially distant gaggle of bathers on the west shore as I paddled by. On the main dock, the Olsens and Reeces were getting ready to tow a tube for some lucky children (or adults?). Later, I met Judy Miller at the library and spotted the Vaydas out for a walk. In short, lots of folks were out and about enjoying our sunny and warm weekend.

I must say it was fun to play the “are they on the island or in their winter home?”game at the all-island meeting on July 12! I didn’t count how many islanders were present, but it seemed most cottages were represented. I will admit to having doubts as to how well the island Internet would hold up to so many folks Zooming simultaneously, but all went very well indeed. Remember, the next all island meeting is set for July 30, and the annual meeting is Aug. 1 at 6 p.m.

Susan Bean has loaned me the large box of column clippings from the Sturgis cottage. It would seem that many of the columns in her box didn’t duplicate the ones clipped by Dorothy Abbott in her scrapbook albums, so I’ve been using these cooler days to scan away. Since there was no opening party this year, I thought I’s leave you with a blast from the past: Opening Party, 1980! Can’t believe that was 40 years ago … surely, it can’t be that long. 

This column was originally printed on July 10, 1980, probably written by Sue Bogart, although no author was listed: “This has been the big summer weekend which all Islanders look forward to through the dismal months of not being here. Much of the island is settled with regulars or renters, and most showed up for the first social event of the year. John and Jane Stoddard had a unique and wonderful Open House Saturday night. Unique in that the invitation read that you were supposed to bring your own drinking utensil to be judged for originality. Wonderful because of the great spread of food available on the large dining room table. Had some of us mothers known ahead of time, we needn’t have planned on cooking supper afterwards. At about 7 p.m. a halt was called to the festivities so that the judges, Mrs. Stoddard Sr. (the oldest islander in residence, bright as a penny) and Dot Abbott, could announce the winners of the contest. Last was first, so Peter Rydell walked off with 3rd prize for his large old fashioned sundae dish. Next came the island creative genius, Helen Manning, who took 2nd for her “Scotch and Water” in reverse order. The winnah was Maine man Ed Webster with a good sized cup made of birch bark. Even though it leaked a bit, the judges felt it had real island personality.”

Should anyone want more “blasts from the past,” many columns can now be found online at the island FOREVER website: https://www.forever.com/app/users/isle-of-springs-maine/albums/ios-columns